I am totally, completely obsessed with being different. I don't think I'm weird in a way that people avoid me on the streets [except maybe in a few cases] but being like everyone else is probably number one on my Things I Hate Most list.
In middle school, I was desperate to fit in. I didn't like being teased [which came naturally due to my glasses, braces & baby fat that hadn't been lost yet.] Every morning when I woke up I surveyed my wardrobe to make sure that whatever I put on wouldn't face relentless pursuits of humiliation the second I hopped out of my mom's mini-van. It wasn't until I got to high school [and lost the braces, baby fat & got contacts] that I HATED looking and being like everyone else. I realized that I had to wear, do, be and say exactly what I wanted. There are times when I wish I had someone else's life, but then I realize how lucky I am to just be me and thats when it hit me: I'm BEST at being me. I may not be best at many things in the world but I am the BEST Maria Stallman there is. I am special just because I'm unique.
I'll be totally honest here: I've got quirks. Lots of them, in fact. Actually, most people might say that my "quirks" are just flat-out weird. Like the fact that my nose scrunches up like a bunnies every once in a while. Or I always have to put my right contact in before my first. Or that I can't usually go 2 days without something purchased from a coffee shop. If you ever met me, you know that I'm not like everyone else. However, I see that as a good thing. I think that I'm not like everyone else in that I always greet everyone with the "Signature Maria Smile" which takes up my whole entire face. I dress in what I think is cute, not whats on the cover of all the magazines. And most importantly, I don't really try to be anybody other than who I am.
Because as the old Chinese Proverb goes, "you should never try to fit in if you were born to stand out."
(:
With Love,
Maria
